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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bass — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — low music
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. snap — to click
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. degree — an amount
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stem — to come from
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rule — a law

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