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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. kick — in football
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. degree — temperature
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. land — to come down
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. degree — from a university
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — a safe
  20. land — ground
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. content — the amount
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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