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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. lie — to recline
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cold — an illness
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — music
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. hand — help
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lie — an untruth

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