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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: suit · pound · stick · bay · face · degree · season · land

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — a country
  4. face — to point toward
  5. land — ground
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. face — part of the head
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. suit — in cards
  13. degree — temperature
  14. suit — to fit
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. face — to confront
  19. suit — clothes
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pound — a weight

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