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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. content — the amount
  20. hand — help
  21. content — happy
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. fork — in a road

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