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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. file — a line of people
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. file — a document
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — an amount
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. press — a publisher
  17. deal — to handle
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. vault — a safe

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