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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. row — a line
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. file — a tool
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — to paddle
  13. file — a line of people
  14. degree — an amount
  15. lie — to recline
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. degree — from a university
  19. file — a document
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bore — to drill
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. vault — a safe

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