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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cap — a hat
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bank — of a river
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. face — to confront
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — in traffic

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