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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. charge — a price
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — ground
  10. charge — in control
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. ground — crushed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. ground — a position
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lie — to recline
  24. charge — electricity

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