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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — to confront
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. capital — a city
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. capital — money
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — a trace

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