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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — happy
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — for dancing
  9. degree — from a university
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lean — to bend
  13. row — a line
  14. bat — the animal
  15. content — the amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. key — in music
  18. lean — thin
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. key — for a lock
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. key — the most important part
  24. club — for golf

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