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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. shower — rain
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chip — to eat
  5. staff — employees
  6. firm — a company
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — an amount
  9. face — to point toward
  10. firm — decided
  11. bore — to drill
  12. firm — steady
  13. wax — to grow
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. degree — temperature
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. chip — in a computer

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