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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. can — to be able to
  4. vault — a safe
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. shower — rain
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — temperature
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bulb — for light
  19. band — a music group
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a ring
  22. fine — all right
  23. wake — a trail
  24. can — a tin

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