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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — a break
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lie — to recline
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. content — happy
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — tied together
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. rest — what's left
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — temperature

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