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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. degree — temperature
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — money
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spring — a coil
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lie — to recline
  16. march — the month
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — in music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. march — the month
  23. capital — a city
  24. lean — thin

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