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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. degree — an amount
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — from a university
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mine — for digging

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