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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — temperature
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. degree — from a university
  11. squash — to crush
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. cell — a phone
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fall — to drop
  19. degree — an amount
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a leader
  23. scale — in music
  24. perch — the fish

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