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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: lash · craft · face · degree · bass · mark · bat · deal

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. craft — boats
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — to confront
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. face — to point toward

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