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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. net — in sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. net — for catching
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in a prison

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