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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bat — the animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — from a university
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. face — part of the head

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