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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. rule — government
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rule — a law
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. ground — a position
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. degree — an amount
  19. content — happy
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cabinet — ministers

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