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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — to come down
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. perch — the fish
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. last — final
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. last — finally
  18. land — a country
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — ground
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com