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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lie — to recline
  5. ground — crushed
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ground — a position
  8. degree — temperature
  9. can — a tin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. key — in music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. key — for a lock
  17. degree — from a university
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bore — to drill

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