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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 120 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: calf · cell · wave · file · lie · degree · face · net

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. file — a document
  3. net — in sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — from a university
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cell — a phone
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. file — a tool
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — after costs

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