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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.

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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. degree — from a university
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. net — in sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — the fish
  9. firm — a company
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. foot — a measure
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bank — of a river
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. net — after costs
  19. degree — an amount
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. degree — temperature
  22. firm — steady
  23. net — for catching
  24. firm — decided

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