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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. ball — a great time
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a dance
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — to confront
  18. current — electric
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. current — happening now
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mouse — the animal

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