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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. degree — temperature
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a line of people
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. file — a tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. file — a document

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