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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
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: racket · mine · face · saw · dip · degree · fine · fall

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — to confront
  6. fine — all right
  7. degree — from a university
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — temperature
  10. face — to point toward
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — to drop
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. fine — high quality
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fall — the season
  24. mine — an explosive

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