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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — temperature
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rash — a series
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bark — to shout
  18. snap — to click
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — the tool

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