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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.

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: roll · face · wound · stand · foot · march · degree · cabinet

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. degree — from a university
  3. face — part of the head
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — temperature
  15. roll — a list
  16. stand — to bear
  17. degree — an amount
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — part of the body

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