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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. degree — an amount
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lie — to recline
  12. fall — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cue — for pool
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — to keep secret

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