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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: foot · degree · face · present · track · vault · last · lean

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. track — a song
  3. present — there
  4. face — part of the head
  5. foot — a measure
  6. track — to keep track
  7. face — to confront
  8. degree — from a university
  9. track — a path
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. last — final
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. present — a gift
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. present — the time now
  21. face — to point toward
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. degree — temperature
  24. foot — the bottom

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