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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: present · face · field · bound · dip · land · vault · sharp

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bound — certain
  6. face — part of the head
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — a country
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. face — to confront
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. present — there
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — tied together
  16. vault — a safe
  17. field — for sport
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bound — obliged
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. field — a subject
  24. dip — a sauce

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