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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. degree — temperature
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mine — for digging
  9. degree — from a university
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — a city
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. degree — an amount
  22. date — the fruit
  23. capital — money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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