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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — temperature
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lean — thin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. degree — an amount
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lean — to bend
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. snap — to click
  18. foot — a measure
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — from a university

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