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

Word bank: degree · foot · bay · chair · face · wound · pop · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chair — a leader
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. pop — to visit
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pop — music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a professorship

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