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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bear — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — to crush
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hand — in cards
  16. degree — an amount
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. hand — help
  19. squash — the sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — a partner
  24. staff — employees

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