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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: tear · fine · lean · rule · court · dip · lie · degree

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. tear — to rip
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. degree — an amount
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. degree — temperature
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — from a university
  21. fine — all right
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. dip — a sauce

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