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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cue — a signal
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cue — for pool
  11. track — a path
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. track — a song
  16. pound — a weight
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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