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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mug — a cup
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pop — to visit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — temperature
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chest — a box
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — money
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. capital — a city
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. degree — from a university

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