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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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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: face · degree · firm · vault · ball · chest · root · file

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. root — the cause
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — to point toward
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — to confront
  9. file — a line of people
  10. degree — temperature
  11. vault — a safe
  12. firm — a company
  13. face — part of the head
  14. firm — decided
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chest — a box
  17. firm — steady
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. root — of a word
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a dance
  22. degree — an amount
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a tool

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