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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. file — a document
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a hat
  11. file — a tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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