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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. degree — from a university
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. can — to be able to
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. deal — to handle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. vault — a safe
  18. degree — temperature
  19. can — a tin
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. scale — size or range
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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