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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — a safe
  3. staff — a stick
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. staff — employees
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — in biology
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — the amount
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — an amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. content — happy

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