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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. object — a thing
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. cell — in biology
  14. degree — temperature
  15. vault — a safe
  16. object — an aim
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — an amount
  20. can — a tin
  21. last — finally
  22. degree — from a university
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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