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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.

Words on the sheet
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: lie · stock · snap · track · pound · season · face · degree

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. degree — temperature
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stock — shares
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — to recline
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — a path
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to confront
  18. stock — goods
  19. track — to keep track
  20. season — in sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. track — a song
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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