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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kid — to tease
  5. degree — temperature
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rush — hurry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. can — a tin
  13. roll — a list
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stand — on your feet

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