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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — a safe
  8. scale — in music
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. date — the fruit
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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