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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ball — a great time
  5. swing — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. perch — the fish
  9. shower — rain
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. swing — to play on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. ball — a dance
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. degree — an amount
  21. swing — in golf
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wave — with your hand

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