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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. degree — an amount
  8. can — to be able to
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kick — in football
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. fine — high quality
  15. lean — to bend
  16. degree — temperature
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fine — all right
  24. lean — thin

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