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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — temperature
  10. clip — a video
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. clip — for paper
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. temple — a place of worship

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