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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: track · face · arm · chair · degree · swing · temple · file

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. track — a song
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. file — a document
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. chair — a leader
  7. degree — temperature
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. degree — from a university
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. face — part of the head
  13. swing — music
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. swing — to play on
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — to keep track

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