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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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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: roll · safe · fall · mate · cap · face · sharp · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. roll — a cake
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — a lid
  6. degree — from a university
  7. face — to confront
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. face — part of the head
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — a partner
  15. face — to point toward
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fall — to drop
  18. roll — a list
  19. degree — temperature
  20. cap — of ice
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fall — the season

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