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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — in control
  3. object — an aim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chest — of your body
  7. swing — music
  8. charge — a price
  9. game — wild animals
  10. swing — in golf
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — an amount
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chest — of your body
  15. charge — electricity
  16. lie — to recline
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. object — to protest
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chest — a box
  22. swing — to play on
  23. degree — from a university
  24. object — a thing

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