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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. degree — temperature
  3. face — to confront
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — for digging
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — an explosive

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