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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · lie · pop · mine · bear · degree · staff · fork

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — a stick
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pop — music
  23. fork — in a road
  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