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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stand — to bear
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hand — help
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. degree — temperature
  18. shower — to wash
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. tube — a container
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hand — in cards

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