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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. content — happy
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — to recline
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a grade
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. content — the amount
  16. roll — a list
  17. degree — temperature
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rule — government
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rule — a law

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