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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. degree — temperature
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to confront
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. face — to point toward

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