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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — temperature
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kick — in football
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — electric
  12. current — of water
  13. face — to confront
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. degree — an amount
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spell — magic
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wound — an injury
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spell — a short time

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