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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
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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: squash · sharp · foot · degree · mouse · hide · face · march

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. face — part of the head
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — clever
  10. squash — to crush
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — the month
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. squash — the sport
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. face — to confront

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