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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. track — a song
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. degree — an amount
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. chip — to eat
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. chip — for betting
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. game — wild animals
  24. temple — a place of worship

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