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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · mark · fine · mate · racket · dip · face · ground

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. ground — crushed
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. face — to confront
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mate — a partner
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ground — a position
  19. degree — from a university
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fine — high quality
  23. face — to point toward
  24. degree — temperature

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