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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — a container
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tube — the underground
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. rest — a break
  19. degree — from a university
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — to wash
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rest — what's left
  24. scale — size or range

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