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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rock — music
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bass — low music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. staff — employees
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to point toward
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. face — to confront
  21. can — a tin
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — a stone
  24. staff — employees

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