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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ball — a great time
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chip — for betting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. degree — temperature
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — an amount
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. plane — a tool

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