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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — an amount
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bat — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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