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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. degree — an amount
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rest — what's left
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mug — a face
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. degree — from a university
  14. rest — a break
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mug — to rob

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