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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — to breed
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. degree — an amount
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — in a road

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