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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. degree — an amount
  3. drill — a practice
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — low music
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mug — a face
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spring — the season
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — from a university
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — of water
  24. bass — the fish

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