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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bear — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. perch — the fish
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wind — moving air
  12. degree — from a university
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. game — a match
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. date — on the calendar

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