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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — to recline
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. squash — to crush
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. perch — the fish
  11. present — the time now
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — there
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. squash — the sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. game — wild animals
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. present — a gift
  24. degree — from a university

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