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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. degree — from a university
  7. rock — a stone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — to drop
  15. degree — temperature
  16. race — humankind
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — a contest
  22. rock — music
  23. saw — the tool
  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