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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. drill — a practice
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cap — of ice
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. vault — a safe
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. drill — army training
  21. cap — a hat
  22. degree — temperature
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. jam — in traffic

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