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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. degree — an amount
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bass — low music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. shower — rain

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