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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. rule — a law
  3. court — for sport
  4. board — to get on
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rule — government
  8. court — of a king
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — from a university
  12. hand — help
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. board — a committee
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of law
  20. pass — a permit
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. lie — to recline
  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