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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.

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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: ball · saw · degree · arm · vault · face · sharp · content

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. saw — the tool
  3. degree — from a university
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — an amount
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. face — part of the head
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. content — the amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ball — a great time
  15. face — to confront
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. vault — a safe
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. face — to point toward
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. saw — the tool
  24. content — happy

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