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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. board — a committee
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — all right
  6. chip — to eat
  7. object — to protest
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. vault — a safe
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. object — a thing
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. face — to confront
  21. board — to get on
  22. chip — for betting
  23. object — an aim
  24. degree — from a university

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