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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — thin
  4. present — a gift
  5. mate — to breed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. branch — a division
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — from a university
  14. perch — the fish
  15. present — there
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. present — the time now
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mate — a friend
  24. sharp — with an edge

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