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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. spell — magic
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spell — letters
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. board — a committee
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — goods
  17. board — to get on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stock — shares
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. perch — for a bird

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