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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stand — to bear
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — an injury
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — temperature
  10. march — music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — an amount
  24. march — the month

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