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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mug — to rob
  3. degree — temperature
  4. land — to come down
  5. cold — an illness
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. degree — an amount
  8. can — to be able to
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — from a university
  15. land — a country
  16. mug — a cup
  17. track — a song
  18. can — a tin
  19. mug — a face
  20. can — a tin
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cold — not warm
  24. track — to keep track

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