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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. degree — an amount
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — to paddle
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. degree — temperature
  22. perch — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — a line

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