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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.

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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 · vault · face · race · scale · board · foot · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. scale — in music
  3. board — a committee
  4. scale — size or range
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. face — to confront
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — the arms race
  13. vault — a safe
  14. race — a contest
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — from a university
  18. race — humankind
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. degree — an amount
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. scale — for weighing
  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