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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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Word bank
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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: spell · cap · ground · pit · bowl · tube · degree · perch

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cap — of ice
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — a lid
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. perch — the fish
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — magic
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. ground — crushed
  24. tube — in a tire

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