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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — from a university
  5. kid — to tease
  6. vault — a safe
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. kid — child
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. ground — the earth
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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