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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 124 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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. degree — temperature
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — from a university
  8. rest — what's left
  9. date — the fruit
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. face — to confront
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. degree — an amount
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pound — a weight
  24. face — to point toward

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