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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. track — to keep track
  7. degree — from a university
  8. game — a match
  9. degree — temperature
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. track — a path
  20. degree — an amount
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. date — the fruit

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