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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to confront
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. ball — a dance
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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