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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cell — a phone
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cell — in biology
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. snap — to click
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. pop — music
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pop — to visit
  23. season — in sport
  24. lie — to recline

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