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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — hasty
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rash — a series
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. branch — a division
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. rash — on the skin
  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