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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — in music
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bass — low music
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bowl — a football final

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