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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a document
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. snap — to click
  9. file — a line of people
  10. degree — from a university
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bound — obliged
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. degree — an amount
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bound — certain
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — tied together
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a tool

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