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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: foot · game · face · degree · hide · bulb · track · craft

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. track — a song
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. game — a match
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. face — to confront
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — wild animals
  20. foot — a measure
  21. track — a path
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bulb — for light
  24. craft — boats

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