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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lean — thin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rash — hasty
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. degree — temperature
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lie — to recline
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — a video
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. clip — for paper
  21. field — a subject
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — an amount
  24. staff — employees

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