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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. degree — from a university
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — an amount
  9. dip — to sink
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bat — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. craft — boats
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. rule — a law
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. face — to point toward
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — a skill
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rule — government

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