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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fall — the season
  3. degree — temperature
  4. last — final
  5. rock — a stone
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fall — to drop
  12. degree — an amount
  13. vault — a safe
  14. last — finally
  15. fall — to drop
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. court — of law
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rock — music
  21. bound — tied together
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — for sport
  24. bound — certain

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