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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: foot · race · plane · snap · chest · face · net · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. race — humankind
  4. net — for catching
  5. degree — from a university
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. race — the arms race
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. face — part of the head
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — a box
  20. face — to point toward
  21. race — a contest
  22. face — to confront
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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