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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. toast — bread
  3. face — to point toward
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — to go on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. last — finally
  9. chip — for betting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. club — a group
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — to confront
  23. last — final
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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