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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ground — the earth
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. rash — hasty
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. net — after costs
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bound — certain
  13. ground — a position
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — obliged
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rash — a series
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rock — music

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