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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. degree — temperature
  3. pass — a permit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a match
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — a safe
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. game — wild animals

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