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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. ground — the earth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. face — to point toward
  6. present — the time now
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ground — crushed
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. present — there
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — from a university
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cap — of ice
  15. face — to confront
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. present — a gift
  19. cap — a hat
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. degree — an amount
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stand — to bear
  24. saw — the tool

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