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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 116 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: pop · game · craft · ground · degree · lie · fine · hand

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. hand — help
  5. pop — soda
  6. fine — all right
  7. game — a match
  8. craft — boats
  9. ground — a position
  10. fine — high quality
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — temperature
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ground — crushed
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. fine — a penalty

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