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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. stand — to bear
  7. game — a match
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. face — to confront
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bank — of a river
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lie — to recline
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bank — for money
  20. ball — a great time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — wild animals
  23. degree — temperature
  24. game — a kind of play

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