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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 116 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: face · hide · degree · bay · game · fan · bowl · clip

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — a match
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. clip — a video
  23. degree — temperature
  24. hide — animal skin

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