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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bore — to tire
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. charge — in control
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — help
  19. degree — from a university
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to drill

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