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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spell — a short time
  3. firm — steady
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cue — a signal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cue — for pool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — a hint
  14. firm — a company
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — an amount
  17. firm — decided
  18. degree — temperature
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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