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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rest — what's left
  5. season — of the year
  6. stem — to come from
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mug — to rob
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. foot — a measure
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mug — a face
  23. rest — a break
  24. foot — the bottom

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