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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · pitch · temple · degree · trunk · face · mine · hand

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — help
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. hand — in cards
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — temperature
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. face — part of the head

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