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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spell — letters
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — for golf
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — from a university
  8. club — a group
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. club — for dancing
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pit — a hole
  18. spell — magic
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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