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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chest — of your body
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rule — government
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — of your body
  13. staff — employees
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. staff — employees
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. vault — a safe
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chest — a box
  22. ground — the earth
  23. rule — a law
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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