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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — temperature
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. deal — to handle
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. squash — the sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — farmland
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — from a university
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. shower — to wash

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