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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — temperature
  8. face — part of the head
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — to confront
  17. ball — a dance
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — a division
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — after costs
  24. branch — of a bank

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