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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
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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: bat · rush · fall · deal · face · jam · wound · degree

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. face — to point toward
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. face — part of the head
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — an injury
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — to drop
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. face — to confront
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — the season
  24. degree — from a university

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