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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pit · bound · face · squash · sharp · degree · mine · vault

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mine — for digging
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. squash — to crush
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bound — certain
  20. face — to confront
  21. pit — in a race
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bound — obliged
  24. squash — the sport

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