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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bass — the fish
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. craft — a skill
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — low music
  15. row — a line
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. stand — to bear
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — to cut

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