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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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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — a stone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — temperature
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. file — a document
  13. content — the amount
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. degree — from a university
  20. file — a tool
  21. rock — music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fine — high quality
  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