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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. degree — temperature
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. object — an aim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. object — a thing
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rash — a series
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — from a university
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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