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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. charge — in control
  15. bass — low music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stem — to come from
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. saw — the tool
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bass — the instrument

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