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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — of a king
  11. degree — from a university
  12. file — a document
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stand — to bear
  18. degree — temperature
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a tool
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — of law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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