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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ 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. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. firm — a company
  5. degree — temperature
  6. firm — decided
  7. rash — hasty
  8. degree — an amount
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kid — to tease
  15. firm — steady
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. 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