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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. degree — temperature
  4. face — to confront
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. degree — from a university
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. kid — child
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bass — low music
  15. net — after costs
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. row — a line
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — for catching
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — in sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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