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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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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 · race · fork · wave · cabinet · degree · shower · toast

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — part of the head
  4. shower — rain
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. toast — bread
  9. face — to point toward
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. face — to confront
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. degree — temperature
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. race — a contest
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — ministers

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