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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — a song
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. press — newspapers
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a tool
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. track — to keep track
  19. file — a document
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cap — a hat
  22. degree — an amount
  23. press — to push
  24. degree — temperature

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