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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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Word bank
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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — a series
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. perch — the fish
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. degree — from a university
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wind — to turn a key

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