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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 116 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pass — a permit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — of the year

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