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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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468
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: face · ground · toast · rush · degree · perch · chip · mate

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. face — to point toward
  3. toast — bread
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. degree — from a university
  8. chip — for betting
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mate — to breed
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. face — to confront
  17. rush — hurry
  18. degree — temperature
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chip — to eat

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