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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. charge — a price
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. charge — in control
  16. degree — temperature
  17. charge — electricity
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — a jug

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