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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.

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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wake — a trail
  3. field — farmland
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. degree — from a university
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. degree — an amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. field — for sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. perch — the fish
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. last — finally
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — to go on
  19. field — a subject
  20. degree — temperature
  21. last — final
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. temple — side of the head

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