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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. firm — decided
  3. scale — in music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a path
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — a song
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. firm — a company
  10. degree — an amount
  11. clip — to cut
  12. degree — from a university
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — a trail
  18. clip — for paper
  19. scale — size or range
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. firm — steady

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