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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rock — a stone
  7. degree — from a university
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — a line
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. craft — a skill
  18. mark — a grade
  19. face — to confront
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — temperature

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