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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · face · mouse · bowl · degree · chair

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. degree — an amount
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. face — to confront
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — part of the head
  12. degree — temperature
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a leader
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. degree — from a university
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bowl — a football final

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