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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 116 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. board — to get on
  16. degree — from a university
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. field — a subject
  19. degree — an amount
  20. board — a committee
  21. field — for sport
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — farmland

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