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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. dip — to sink
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a ring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — from a university
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a music group
  24. current — electric

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