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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. shower — to wash
  3. suit — in cards
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a face
  14. suit — to fit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. suit — clothes
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — rain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — to cut
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — a cup
  24. degree — from a university

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