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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. degree — an amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. face — to confront
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rule — government
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bark — to shout
  20. degree — from a university
  21. season — in sport
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — a law

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