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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. degree — temperature
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bat — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. race — a contest
  15. face — to confront
  16. rush — hurry
  17. degree — from a university
  18. present — a gift
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. present — the time now
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — there
  23. race — humankind
  24. fan — a supporter

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