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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a committee
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. degree — from a university
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rock — a stone
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. degree — temperature
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — the fish
  22. board — to get on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rock — to move gently

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