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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · toast · bear · rest · perch · court · degree · firm

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — steady
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — the fish
  12. court — of law
  13. rest — a break
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — for digging
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rest — what's left
  19. firm — a company
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. toast — bread
  23. firm — decided
  24. mine — belonging to me

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