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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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 ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lie — to recline
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. spring — the season
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — from a university
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. date — the fruit
  17. degree — an amount
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lean — thin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

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