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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. march — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — to come from
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. pop — soda
  24. march — the month

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