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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chip · bat · jam · lean · degree · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. lean — to bend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chip — for betting
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. degree — temperature
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bat — the animal
  15. degree — from a university
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lean — thin

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