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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
468
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: bear · bowl · degree · face · chair · ground · club · can

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. degree — from a university
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ground — a position
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — an amount
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. club — for dancing

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