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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — from a university
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. degree — temperature
  9. deal — to handle
  10. perch — the fish
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. mate — to breed
  24. tear — to rip

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