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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: foot · degree · firm · object · bear · swing · face · bat

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  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 — an amount
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. object — an aim
  5. firm — a company
  6. degree — temperature
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. object — a thing
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — the animal
  16. object — to protest
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. degree — from a university
  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