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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 120 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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. firm — a company
  3. degree — temperature
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. degree — from a university
  9. face — to confront
  10. staff — employees
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitch — completely
  13. spring — the season
  14. degree — an amount
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. ground — crushed
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. spring — of water
  20. staff — employees
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. face — part of the head
  24. firm — decided

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