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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. field — a subject
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. face — part of the head
  10. shower — rain
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — to wash
  14. firm — steady
  15. degree — an amount
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to confront
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. plane — a tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. fork — in a road
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. can — to be able to
  24. firm — a company

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