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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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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: nail · cap · row · face · fall · vault · degree · can

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — a line
  6. can — a tin
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. face — part of the head
  9. degree — an amount
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. cap — a hat
  18. fall — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — temperature
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — a quarrel

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