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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. rock — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. land — a country
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. march — the month
  18. land — ground
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — music
  21. land — to come down
  22. roll — a list
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stand — to bear

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