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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. land — ground
  2. degree — an amount
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. can — a tin
  6. roll — a cake
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — a country
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — to come down
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pass — a permit
  16. object — an aim
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. degree — from a university
  19. can — to be able to
  20. object — to protest
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. roll — a list
  23. pass — to succeed
  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