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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: mate · drill · fine · degree · lie · hide · snap · bear

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fine — high quality
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. snap — to click
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — from a university
  15. drill — the tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mate — a friend
  22. lie — to recline
  23. drill — army training
  24. degree — an amount

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