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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. clip — a video
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. vault — a safe
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. tube — a container
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. clip — to cut
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — of ice
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — the underground
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cap — a lid

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