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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: vault · pop · face · degree · pass · firm · fork · dip

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. firm — steady
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. firm — decided
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pass — a permit
  10. firm — a company
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pop — music
  16. vault — a safe
  17. pop — soda
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pop — to visit
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to dunk
  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