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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. hand — in cards
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hand — help
  7. mark — a grade
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. saw — the tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — an amount
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mark — a trace
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — a division
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. lie — an untruth

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