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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — in sport
  4. rash — a series
  5. degree — an amount
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — temperature
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kick — in football
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bear — 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