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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. spell — letters
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bear — the animal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lie — to recline
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — a path
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a song
  21. spell — magic
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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