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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pit — a hole
  14. deal — to handle
  15. drill — army training
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. deal — an agreement

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