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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bank — for money
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bank — for money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. bank — of a river
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — certain
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — to crush
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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