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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. suit — in cards
  3. degree — an amount
  4. object — to protest
  5. face — to point toward
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — to confront
  10. game — wild animals
  11. craft — a skill
  12. object — a thing
  13. face — part of the head
  14. suit — clothes
  15. saw — the tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — from a university
  19. game — a match
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. suit — to fit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. march — music

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