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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. firm — a company
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bear — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — a country
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — to confront
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — boats
  13. firm — decided
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — from a university
  18. firm — steady
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wound — an injury
  21. craft — a skill
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wound — an injury

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