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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kid — to tease
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. degree — an amount
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. drill — the tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. kid — child
  23. drill — a practice
  24. face — to confront

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