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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — help
  5. degree — from a university
  6. club — a group
  7. lie — to recline
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. club — for dancing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. hand — in cards
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — for golf
  24. hand — part of the body

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