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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: face · season · rest · root · fine · degree · arm · mug

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — from a university
  4. root — of a word
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mug — a cup
  7. degree — temperature
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rest — a break
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. root — the cause
  12. face — to point toward
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fine — all right
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. mug — a face
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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