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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. dip — to sink
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. vault — a safe
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. root — of a word
  11. field — farmland
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — a city
  14. degree — temperature
  15. capital — money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — for sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pop — soda
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pop — to visit
  24. dip — to dunk

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