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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. degree — from a university
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pound — a weight
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. present — the time now
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — a trail
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. present — there
  19. degree — temperature
  20. face — to confront
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. present — a gift
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pound — to hit hard

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