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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.

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: degree · face · game · land · bound · bear · hide · safe

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — ground
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — a match
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — certain
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — tied together
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. safe — out of danger

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