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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 120 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. degree — from a university
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. degree — an amount
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. face — to point toward
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — part of the head
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lie — to recline
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. degree — temperature
  17. hand — help
  18. face — to confront
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. swing — music

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