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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. hand — help
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — temperature
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — crushed
  15. degree — from a university
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ground — a position
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — obliged
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bound — certain
  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