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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. mate — to breed
  4. current — of water
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. track — a song
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — electric
  14. mate — a friend
  15. track — a path
  16. bound — tied together
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bound — certain
  19. club — a group
  20. root — the cause
  21. current — happening now
  22. bound — obliged
  23. club — for golf
  24. mate — a partner

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