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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — an injury
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. land — ground
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. degree — an amount
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. land — a country
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — to come down
  24. degree — temperature

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