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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — a tin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — all right
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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