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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitch — completely
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. object — to protest
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — a thing
  14. branch — a division
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. degree — temperature
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. object — an aim

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