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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. craft — boats
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. club — for dancing
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for golf
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bound — certain
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. degree — from a university
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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