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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.

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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: chip · deal · season · hide · degree · straw · pound · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. degree — an amount
  4. face — part of the head
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — for betting
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. season — in sport
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. face — to confront
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chip — to eat
  24. season — of the year

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