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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. chest — a box
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — rain
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bound — obliged
  12. dip — to sink
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bound — tied together
  15. degree — an amount
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chest — of your body
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. degree — temperature

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