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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. track — a song
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a dance
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — an amount
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. vault — a safe
  20. degree — from a university
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. degree — temperature
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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