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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — magic
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — letters
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rash — a series
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chair — a leader
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chair — a professorship

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