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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rush — hurry
  3. degree — temperature
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to confront
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — a position
  13. snap — to click
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. face — part of the head
  24. rock — a stone

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