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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.

Make a worksheet

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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hand — in cards
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. land — to come down
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — to protest
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. land — a country
  21. kick — in football
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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