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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — an amount
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chair — a leader
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to click
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. saw — the tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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