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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · spell · degree · deal · stick · straw · rest · lie

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — from a university
  21. spell — a short time
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spell — magic

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