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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 116 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. present — there
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. capital — money
  8. object — a thing
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. present — a gift
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. present — the time now
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. field — for sport
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. capital — a city
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — farmland
  22. vault — a safe
  23. field — a subject
  24. degree — temperature

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