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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: bound · cue · fall · saw · toast · degree · swing · face

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. toast — bread
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. cue — a signal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — the season
  11. cue — a hint
  12. saw — the tool
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bound — tied together
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. swing — music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. swing — in golf
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — for pool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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