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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fine — all right
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. scale — in music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. degree — temperature

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