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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. present — the time now
  3. stock — shares
  4. present — a gift
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bound — obliged
  7. rule — government
  8. degree — an amount
  9. kick — in football
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rule — a law
  12. bound — certain
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bound — tied together
  16. degree — temperature
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. stock — goods
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. present — there
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cold — an illness
  24. vault — a safe

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