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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. track — a song
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — in cards
  9. track — a path
  10. hand — help
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. degree — an amount
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. press — to push
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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