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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. kick — in football
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. key — in music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. court — of law
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — temperature
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bass — low music
  17. degree — from a university
  18. court — of a king
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. degree — an amount
  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