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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pound — a weight
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. game — a match
  12. rush — hurry
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fall — to drop
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pound — for dogs

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