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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — a short time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — all right
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — the fish
  8. face — to confront
  9. spring — of water
  10. rush — hurry
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — a phone
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. spell — magic
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — high quality
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spring — the season
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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