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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mate — a partner
  8. field — farmland
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — to recline
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. field — a subject
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. ground — the earth
  17. field — for sport
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mate — to breed

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