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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bound — tied together
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to confront
  10. tube — a container
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tube — the underground
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. hand — help
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. date — the fruit

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