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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. 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. degree — from a university
  2. bank — for money
  3. face — to point toward
  4. degree — temperature
  5. shower — rain
  6. dip — to sink
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — part of the head
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. face — to confront
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — thin
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — of a river
  22. lean — to bend
  23. shower — to wash
  24. 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