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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — ground
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. land — to come down
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — a country
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. degree — temperature
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mouse — for a computer

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