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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — hasty
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chest — a box
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. face — to confront
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — an amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. face — part of the head
  19. staff — a stick
  20. degree — from a university
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — in music
  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