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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. snap — to click
  5. degree — temperature
  6. face — part of the head
  7. season — of the year
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. object — to protest
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. board — a committee
  16. object — a thing
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bore — to tire
  19. object — an aim
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. face — to confront
  22. bore — to drill
  23. season — in sport
  24. board — to get on

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