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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. degree — temperature
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. row — a line
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cap — a lid
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. row — to paddle
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bat — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — in an idiom

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