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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pop — soda
  4. lean — thin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. present — there
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pop — music
  20. degree — from a university
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. present — a gift
  23. sharp — clever
  24. present — the time now

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