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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — from a university
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. degree — an amount
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mug — a cup
  9. charge — electricity
  10. mug — to rob
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bound — certain
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — temperature
  19. charge — in control
  20. bound — tied together
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mug — a face
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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