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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kid — child
  15. bass — the fish
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chest — a box
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cue — for pool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cue — a hint
  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