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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. squash — to crush
  3. charge — a price
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. degree — from a university
  11. mate — a friend
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mate — a partner
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. suit — to fit
  19. mate — to breed
  20. lie — to recline
  21. squash — the sport
  22. charge — in control
  23. rock — music
  24. squash — the vegetable

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