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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 116 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: object · face · perch · mine · vault · game · pass · degree

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — a match
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. degree — temperature
  7. object — a thing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. object — an aim
  13. perch — the fish
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. object — to protest
  18. face — to confront
  19. degree — from a university
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — a permit

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