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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. degree — temperature
  7. shower — rain
  8. face — to confront
  9. season — of the year
  10. toast — bread
  11. mug — a cup
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — in sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — an amount
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mug — a face
  24. degree — from a university

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