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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wake — a trail
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. face — part of the head
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — an amount
  24. face — to confront

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