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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. staff — employees
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. content — the amount
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. content — happy
  19. pound — a weight
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — a stick

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