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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. degree — temperature
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. degree — an amount
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — the fish
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. scale — in music
  24. lie — to recline

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