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

Word bank: squash · fall · date · cabinet · cap · lie · ruler · degree

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — the season
  5. cap — a hat
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — to drop
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — the sport
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — temperature

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