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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. degree — temperature
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. march — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. degree — an amount
  18. deal — to handle
  19. vault — a safe
  20. wound — an injury
  21. march — the month
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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