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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.

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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: mug · rush · hide · degree · tube · deal · capital · face

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. mug — a face
  2. tube — a container
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. face — to confront
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mug — a cup
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — an amount
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rush — hurry
  23. capital — money
  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