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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — after costs
  5. degree — temperature
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. face — to confront
  8. row — to paddle
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — the month
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fork — in a road
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — to protest
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — music
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. object — a thing
  23. march — the month
  24. row — a line

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