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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. degree — from a university
  3. vault — a safe
  4. land — ground
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cue — for pool
  11. face — to confront
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. land — to come down
  15. cue — a hint
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. degree — temperature
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. degree — an amount
  24. land — a country

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