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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lie — to recline
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. swing — to play on
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. degree — an amount
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. swing — in golf
  12. foot — a measure
  13. swing — music
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — temperature
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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