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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 120 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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. court — for sport
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of law
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — temperature
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lie — to recline
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. lie — an untruth
  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