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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — temperature
  3. bank — for money
  4. content — the amount
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — happy
  8. vault — a safe
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitch — completely
  15. firm — decided
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bank — of a river
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — for money
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — a company
  24. content — videos and posts

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