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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rest — a break
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a face
  11. rule — a law
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mug — a cup
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — farmland
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — the underground

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