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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. degree — temperature
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to sink
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. hand — help
  10. land — to come down
  11. degree — an amount
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hand — in cards
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. season — in sport
  20. club — a group
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for golf
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — of the year

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