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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — to confront
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tube — the underground
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — an amount
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a music group
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spell — magic
  17. hand — help
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — a container
  20. spell — letters
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bear — the animal

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