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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. ground — the earth
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — an amount
  6. ground — crushed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. ground — a position
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. court — of law
  17. firm — decided
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. degree — from a university
  20. saw — the tool
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. vault — a safe
  24. firm — steady

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