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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a document
  10. face — to confront
  11. cue — a signal
  12. file — a tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wax — for sculpting

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