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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bound — tied together
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bound — certain
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. degree — from a university
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — an amount
  17. mug — to rob
  18. vault — a safe
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — to trim
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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