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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 120 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 ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. dip — to sink
  3. degree — from a university
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. degree — an amount
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — temperature
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — a video
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stand — to bear
  23. clip — for paper
  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