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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — to trim
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pound — a weight
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — to go on

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