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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. face — to confront
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. degree — from a university
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. vault — a safe
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wake — a trail
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. chip — to eat
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fall — the season
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — an amount
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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