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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. degree — from a university
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — to confront
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stem — to come from
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — a cake
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. race — a contest
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. race — humankind
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. face — part of the head
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — hurry

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