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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. spell — letters
  3. degree — from a university
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — an amount
  12. drill — a practice
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spell — magic
  16. drill — army training
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. degree — temperature
  22. drill — the tool
  23. row — a line
  24. jam — a tight spot

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