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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.

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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a ring
  9. pit — a hole
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. degree — temperature
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — an amount
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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