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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. court — of law
  4. degree — an amount
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — a country
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. land — ground
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — a safe
  21. tube — a container
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — help

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