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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. face — to point toward
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — an amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to confront
  8. bank — for money
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. court — for sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. face — part of the head
  14. object — a thing
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — of a king
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. object — an aim
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. object — to protest
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bank — for money
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bank — of a river

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