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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. spell — magic
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. spell — a short time
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — letters
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tube — a container
  20. drill — a practice
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lie — to recline

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