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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. court — of a king
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — a leader
  9. kid — child
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — temperature
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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