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

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. 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. firm — a company
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chest — a box
  5. firm — decided
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bulb — for light
  15. face — to confront
  16. firm — steady
  17. face — part of the head
  18. 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