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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — a safe
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bound — tied together
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — certain
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bass — low music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. race — humankind
  20. degree — from a university
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bass — the fish
  23. race — a contest
  24. lash — to lash out

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