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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — all right
  4. charge — in control
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to confront
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lie — to recline
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — an amount

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