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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. toast — the most admired
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. craft — boats
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. face — to confront
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — a skill
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. face — to point toward

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