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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: degree · toast · chip · vault · season · face · net · cell

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cell — a phone
  4. net — in sport
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. cell — in biology
  10. toast — bread
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. degree — from a university
  21. face — to point toward
  22. degree — an amount
  23. net — after costs
  24. degree — temperature

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