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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cap — a lid
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rest — a break
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. snap — to click
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — from a university
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bass — the fish
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — hurry
  17. face — to confront
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bass — low music
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. deal — an agreement

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