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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. net — in sport
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. snap — to click
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. net — after costs
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — for catching
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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