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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — to protest
  4. degree — from a university
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. content — the amount
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ground — a position
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. chair — a leader
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. ground — the earth
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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