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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cell — in biology
  3. vault — a safe
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. swing — to play on
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. degree — temperature
  14. root — of a word
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cell — a phone
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. root — the cause
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. degree — from a university
  24. racket — a loud noise

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