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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. scale — in music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. content — happy
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. pitch — completely
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. tube — a container
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. saw — the tool
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — an amount

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