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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. degree — temperature
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — of a king
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ground — crushed
  9. face — to point toward
  10. last — to go on
  11. ground — a position
  12. court — for sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stock — shares
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. court — of law
  22. last — finally
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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