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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. lie — to recline
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. degree — from a university
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — to crush
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. degree — temperature
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mine — belonging to me

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