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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. field — for sport
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. degree — an amount
  11. field — farmland
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. pop — to visit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. field — a subject
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pop — music
  22. lie — to recline
  23. current — happening now
  24. hide — to keep secret

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