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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. rest — a break
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. firm — a company
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — a hole
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — temperature
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. squash — to crush
  23. vault — a safe
  24. firm — decided

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