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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — high quality
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a document
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mate — to breed
  14. degree — an amount
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fine — all right
  19. firm — a company
  20. file — a tool
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — steady
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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