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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fall — to drop
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. plane — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to confront

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