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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: fork · cap · mate · jam · degree · perch · bear · file

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a partner
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. cap — of ice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mate — a friend
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — a hat
  19. file — a document
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. perch — the fish

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