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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. vault — a safe
  4. net — for catching
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. shower — rain
  7. degree — an amount
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. can — a tin
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — in sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. shower — to wash
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. scale — in music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. degree — from a university
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — child
  24. net — after costs

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