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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — a price
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. face — to confront
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — electricity
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. charge — in control
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. leaves — lets stay

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