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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: cell · jam · scale · temple · face · degree · season · row

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. face — part of the head
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. face — to confront
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. degree — from a university
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. season — of the year
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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