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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. track — a song
  4. scale — in music
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. degree — an amount
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — to confront
  10. pop — soda
  11. track — a path
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kick — in football
  14. face — to point toward
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fall — the season
  20. pop — music
  21. degree — temperature
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. track — to keep track

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