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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 · land · face · present · chest · can · fine · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. degree — temperature
  3. present — a gift
  4. land — to come down
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fine — all right
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to confront
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — to be able to
  12. present — there
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — a country
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. can — a tin
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — the time now

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