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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. last — finally
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. degree — an amount
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stem — to come from
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. season — in sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — to go on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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