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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fine — all right
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. last — finally
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bound — certain
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — an amount
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — to go on
  19. mug — a cup
  20. last — final
  21. degree — temperature
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chest — of your body
  24. vault — a safe

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