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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ball — a great time
  4. degree — from a university
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. march — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. degree — temperature
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — a container
  14. dip — to sink
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tube — the underground
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. perch — the fish
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mark — a trace
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ball — a dance

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