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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. bound — tied together
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wind — moving air
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. capital — a city
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bound — certain
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — moving air
  19. vault — a safe
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — temperature
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. sharp — exactly
  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