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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. suit — clothes
  3. last — to go on
  4. cold — an illness
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. suit — in cards
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. degree — from a university
  10. season — of the year
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. suit — to fit
  21. face — to confront
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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