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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bat — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — a division
  18. bat — for baseball

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