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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. degree — an amount
  4. firm — decided
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rock — music
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chest — a box
  12. face — to confront
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. firm — a company
  19. mark — a grade
  20. roll — a list
  21. firm — steady
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — from a university
  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