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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — obliged
  4. degree — an amount
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. degree — temperature
  7. net — for catching
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bound — tied together
  18. degree — from a university
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. perch — the fish
  24. branch — of a tree

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