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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 116 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mate — a friend
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. degree — from a university

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