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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — a city
  7. degree — an amount
  8. band — a music group
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — the earth
  11. degree — from a university
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a ring
  14. ground — crushed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — a position
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. capital — money
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fall — the season
  23. object — to protest
  24. lie — to recline

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