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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: net · safe · craft · club · degree · ball · face · wind

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. degree — from a university
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wind — moving air
  8. club — a group
  9. net — in sport
  10. degree — an amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. club — for dancing
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. craft — boats
  16. ball — a dance
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wind — moving air
  23. degree — temperature
  24. club — for golf

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