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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. charge — in control
  3. scale — size or range
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — from a university
  8. date — the fruit
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cold — not warm
  13. charge — a price
  14. kick — in football
  15. scale — in music
  16. charge — electricity
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. band — a ring
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cold — an illness
  23. band — a music group
  24. kick — with a leg

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