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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. lie — to recline
  9. field — for sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rest — a break
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — low music
  20. field — farmland
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rest — what's left
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pop — music

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