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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — from a university
  8. object — an aim
  9. pit — a hole
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — wild animals
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. object — a thing
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a match
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. object — to protest
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the vegetable

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