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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. foot — a measure
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. degree — temperature
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. face — part of the head
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. degree — an amount
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — soda
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. craft — a skill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pop — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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