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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — to recline
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. deal — to handle
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. lean — thin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ground — the earth

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