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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: degree · present · vault · temple · fan · land · season · coach

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — an amount
  6. season — in sport
  7. present — there
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — a safe
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — to come down
  24. present — a gift

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