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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. season — of the year
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. shower — rain
  13. degree — from a university
  14. ground — a position
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. ground — crushed
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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