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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — to point toward
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. degree — from a university
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. degree — an amount
  18. scale — in music
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. swing — music
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. degree — temperature
  24. band — a music group

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