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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wound — an injury
  3. degree — temperature
  4. degree — an amount
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. can — a tin
  11. vault — a safe
  12. snap — to click
  13. degree — from a university
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. can — to be able to
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. staff — employees
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wound — an injury
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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