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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. clip — for paper
  4. degree — temperature
  5. key — in music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a partner
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — to sink
  16. perch — the fish
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. clip — a video
  20. degree — an amount
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mate — to breed
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mate — a friend

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