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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. kid — to tease
  3. suit — in cards
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kid — child
  11. suit — clothes
  12. face — to confront
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. suit — to fit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. spell — magic
  17. rock — music
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spell — letters
  24. mouse — for a computer

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