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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. object — to protest
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. mug — a cup
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ground — a position
  11. object — an aim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. craft — a skill
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ground — the earth
  16. craft — boats
  17. bat — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mug — a face
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. object — a thing

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