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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. degree — an amount
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. pit — a hole
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. clip — a video
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pit — in a race
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. degree — from a university
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. degree — temperature
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. fine — all right
  24. wake — a trail

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