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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fine — high quality
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — an amount
  22. key — in music
  23. key — the most important part
  24. fine — all right

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