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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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Word bank
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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: face · cap · bat · degree · key · rush · foot · hand

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. key — for a lock
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cap — a hat
  14. hand — in cards
  15. foot — a measure
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — of ice
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — part of the head

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