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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. degree — temperature
  6. face — to point toward
  7. degree — an amount
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to confront
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. face — part of the head
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — a committee
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. board — to get on
  23. fork — in a road
  24. staff — employees

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