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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. mark — a trace
  3. wind — moving air
  4. degree — an amount
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. vault — a safe
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. ground — the earth
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. ground — a position

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