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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. deal — to handle
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — child
  7. degree — temperature
  8. scale — in music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. content — happy
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. degree — an amount
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. degree — from a university
  19. lie — to recline
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. kid — to tease
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. branch — a division

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