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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 124 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. degree — from a university
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — a subject
  4. pop — soda
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rock — music
  8. field — farmland
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. degree — an amount
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pop — to visit
  17. field — for sport
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pop — music
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rock — a stone
  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