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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. content — the amount
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. track — a path
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. dip — to sink
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. degree — temperature
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. perch — the fish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pass — a permit
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. track — to keep track
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — happy
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a song
  24. content — videos and posts

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