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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. face — to confront
  5. degree — temperature
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. degree — an amount
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. drill — a practice
  13. face — to point toward
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. drill — army training
  20. can — a tin
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. drill — the tool
  24. can — a tin

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