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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. net — after costs
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. degree — from a university
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. degree — temperature
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. net — for catching
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — an amount
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — in control

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