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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rule — government
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bass — low music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pit — in a race
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ball — a great time
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rule — to rule out

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