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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — for dancing
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — obliged
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. club — a group
  12. bound — certain
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — a safe
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. club — for golf
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. degree — an amount
  23. kid — child
  24. racket — a loud noise

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