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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. current — electric
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. current — of water
  13. pop — to visit
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — happening now
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pop — music
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — in sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lie — to recline
  23. pop — soda
  24. bowl — to roll

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