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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. track — a path
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — a song
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. track — to keep track
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rest — a break
  24. cold — not warm

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