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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 116 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: hide · degree · current · capital · mark · mug · land · face

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. current — of water
  6. land — to come down
  7. mug — a face
  8. land — a country
  9. current — electric
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mark — a grade
  13. current — happening now
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. face — part of the head
  20. capital — a city
  21. land — ground
  22. degree — an amount
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to confront

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