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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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. dip — to sink
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. march — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. march — the month
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. degree — an amount
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. degree — temperature
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitch — completely

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