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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pop — music
  24. degree — an amount

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