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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. ground — a position
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. ground — crushed
  11. vault — a safe
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. capital — a city
  17. ground — the earth
  18. sharp — clever
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. degree — from a university
  23. capital — money
  24. pitcher — a jug

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