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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 120 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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. degree — from a university
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. club — a group
  8. spell — letters
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — an amount
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — a weight
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — a match
  16. spell — a short time
  17. game — wild animals
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. club — for golf
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spell — magic
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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