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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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468
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: rock · chest · degree · racket · shower · face · pass · game

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chest — a box
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — music
  8. pass — a permit
  9. shower — rain
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. rock — a stone
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. shower — to wash
  22. degree — from a university
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pass — to succeed

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