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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. vault — a safe
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. degree — from a university
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — a subject
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. field — for sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. field — farmland
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. degree — temperature
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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