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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: pop · last · sharp · degree · kid · toast · lie · roll

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lie — to recline
  4. degree — temperature
  5. roll — a list
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kid — child
  9. sharp — clever
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — to tease
  12. roll — a cake
  13. pop — to visit
  14. last — finally
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. toast — bread
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — music
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. last — final
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. degree — from a university

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