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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — from a university
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. face — to confront
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — part of the head
  8. degree — temperature
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. race — a contest
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. drill — army training
  16. race — humankind
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. race — the arms race
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bulb — for light

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