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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. net — in sport
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. net — after costs
  5. degree — temperature
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. vault — a safe
  13. file — a line of people
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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