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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. spell — letters
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. face — to point toward
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — a stone
  11. degree — temperature
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bank — of a river
  14. firm — steady
  15. firm — a company
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — decided
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — for money
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. degree — an amount

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