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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. craft — a skill
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. degree — from a university
  5. vault — a safe
  6. craft — boats
  7. degree — temperature
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a face
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. key — for a lock
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mug — a cup
  16. degree — an amount
  17. key — in music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — a line
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. craft — a handicraft

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