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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to click
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lean — thin
  9. pop — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. land — to come down
  15. pop — soda
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to bend
  18. land — a country
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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