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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. last — finally
  7. lie — to recline
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — a weight
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. last — to go on
  14. degree — temperature
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — final
  24. pound — to hit hard

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