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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kid — child
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. current — of water
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. degree — temperature
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. degree — from a university
  24. ball — a dance

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