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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. degree — an amount
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. degree — temperature
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. staff — employees

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