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

Word bank: track · chest · lie · face · vault · stick · degree · patient

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a song
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. track — a path
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chest — a box
  18. degree — an amount
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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