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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. firm — steady
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spell — letters
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. degree — from a university
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. firm — a company
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cue — a hint

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