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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. roll — a cake
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. degree — from a university
  12. race — humankind
  13. band — a ring
  14. race — the arms race
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — part of the head
  17. board — to get on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. race — a contest
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a music group
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — the animal

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