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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. vault — a safe
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — goods
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. court — of law
  16. rush — hurry
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stock — shares

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