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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ball — a great time
  5. roll — a list
  6. chair — a leader
  7. degree — from a university
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rush — hurry
  18. roll — a cake
  19. degree — temperature
  20. perch — the fish
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. ball — a dance
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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