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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. season — of the year
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. season — in sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. swing — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wake — a trail
  19. swing — to play on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. degree — temperature
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chip — in a computer

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