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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mate — a friend
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. kid — child
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ground — a position
  13. rock — a stone
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — a safe
  17. degree — temperature
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rock — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mate — to breed
  23. degree — an amount
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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