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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. shower — rain
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — final
  11. bulb — for light
  12. board — to get on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rush — hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mug — a face
  21. degree — temperature
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — to rob
  24. face — to confront

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