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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. degree — from a university
  13. lie — to recline
  14. capital — money
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. pound — a weight
  17. deal — to handle
  18. degree — temperature
  19. capital — a city
  20. bass — low music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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