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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — thin
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — an amount
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. degree — from a university
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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