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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. lie — to recline
  12. clip — a video
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — for paper
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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