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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — in sport
  4. degree — an amount
  5. drill — the tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. net — after costs
  8. bass — low music
  9. last — final
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — a practice
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bass — the fish
  14. drill — army training
  15. pass — a permit
  16. degree — from a university
  17. last — finally
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. last — to go on
  21. season — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. season — to add flavour

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