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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 ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mate — a partner
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lie — to recline
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wake — a trail
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — help
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — in cards
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. can — a tin

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