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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — of water
  3. degree — temperature
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ground — a position
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — from a university
  10. current — of water
  11. lie — to recline
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. current — electric
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. row — a line
  21. current — happening now
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to confront
  24. degree — an amount

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