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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: foot · date · face · snap · net · lie · kick · degree

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. degree — an amount
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. face — to confront
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. net — in sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — part of the head
  18. snap — to click
  19. foot — a measure
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. kick — in football
  22. net — for catching
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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