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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — the amount
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — music
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. march — the month
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — a law
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mug — a cup
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rule — government
  20. mug — a face
  21. pound — a weight
  22. face — to confront
  23. degree — temperature
  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