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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 120 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: degree · kick · pitcher · face · stem · current · pitch · wave

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. degree — from a university
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. current — happening now
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitch — completely
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. current — electric
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kick — in football
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. degree — temperature
  24. current — of water

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