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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. clip — a video
  4. degree — from a university
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. clip — to cut
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. suit — clothes
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. clip — for paper
  17. board — a committee
  18. band — a music group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. suit — to fit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. board — to get on

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