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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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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: chair · degree · face · wound · pass · coach · rest · temple

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rest — a break
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. face — to confront
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. face — part of the head
  23. degree — from a university
  24. coach — a trainer

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