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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. degree — from a university
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mug — a face
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. track — a song
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rest — what's left
  16. track — a path
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lie — to recline
  22. track — to keep track
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. row — to paddle

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