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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. face — to confront
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. degree — temperature
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. degree — an amount
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bear — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. mark — a trace
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. craft — boats
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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