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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. swing — to play on
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. track — a path
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. degree — an amount
  10. swing — in golf
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bulb — for light
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — music
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mate — a friend

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