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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. saw — the tool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. degree — from a university
  11. face — to confront
  12. rock — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. mark — a grade
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — to come down
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. land — ground
  21. mark — a trace
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — to move gently

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