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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — a leader
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. cap — of ice
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mate — to breed
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. face — to confront
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cap — a lid
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — to point toward
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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