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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. degree — temperature
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. spring — of water
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. craft — a skill
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — in football
  15. craft — boats
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spring — the season
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spring — a coil

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