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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. file — a document
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — help
  11. roll — a list
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. degree — temperature
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ball — a great time
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ball — a dance
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — a place of worship

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