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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — an amount
  8. suit — in cards
  9. shower — rain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. degree — from a university
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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