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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. root — the cause
  9. court — of law
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. vault — a safe
  12. root — of a plant
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. court — for sport
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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