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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — in sport
  4. degree — an amount
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. press — a publisher
  7. degree — temperature
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — to push
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. key — the most important part
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stock — goods
  18. key — for a lock
  19. degree — from a university
  20. vault — a safe
  21. season — of the year
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — shares

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