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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. degree — an amount
  6. vault — a safe
  7. degree — temperature
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. staff — employees
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — for sport
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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