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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — in sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. roll — a cake
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rule — government
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. degree — an amount
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. perch — the fish
  22. plane — a tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. rush — a thrill

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