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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: degree · cell · hand · bass · cap · ball · bore · face

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cap — of ice
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — a lid
  12. ball — a dance
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cell — in biology
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cell — a phone
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — in a prison

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