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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rest — a break
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — low music
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lie — to recline
  16. degree — from a university
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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