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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pit — in a race
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rash — a series
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — temperature
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pit — a hole
  14. squash — the sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rash — hasty

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