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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 116 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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. face — to confront
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fall — the season
  13. lie — to recline
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. chair — a leader
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lie — an untruth

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