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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. present — a gift
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bat — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — certain
  14. pound — a weight
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — of water
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. degree — temperature
  21. present — there
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bound — tied together
  24. lie — an untruth

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