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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rush — hurry
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. file — a document
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. land — a country
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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