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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. craft — boats
  5. object — a thing
  6. staff — employees
  7. stem — to come from
  8. staff — a stick
  9. face — to confront
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. degree — temperature
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. object — an aim
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. staff — employees
  23. degree — from a university
  24. face — part of the head

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