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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: pit · wake · cabinet · lie · hide · toast · degree · cell

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. degree — temperature
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. toast — bread
  13. pit — in a race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — to recline
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a hole

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