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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. degree — temperature
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — in cards
  6. drill — the tool
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bass — low music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — to come from
  20. drill — army training
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hand — help
  24. bass — the fish

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