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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. present — there
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — a position
  7. pop — music
  8. present — a gift
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pop — soda
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. present — the time now
  24. pop — to visit

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