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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. roll — a list
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — to recline
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — soda
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cue — for pool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cue — a hint
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a signal
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. track — a path

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