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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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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. chest — of your body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. chest — a box
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. degree — an amount
  12. suit — clothes
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. dip — to sink
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chest — of your body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. calf — a young animal

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