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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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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: cap · object · bear · ground · face · cold · dip · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cap — of ice
  3. dip — to sink
  4. face — to confront
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cap — a hat
  9. degree — an amount
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. object — a thing
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. object — an aim
  23. cap — a lid
  24. object — to protest

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