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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — an amount
  3. capital — money
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — hasty
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fall — the season
  17. vault — a safe
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. capital — a city
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bear — the animal

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