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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ground — crushed
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — to breed
  13. degree — an amount
  14. clip — to cut
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. clip — a video
  22. ground — a position
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. leaves — of a tree

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