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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. object — a thing
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rule — government
  5. object — to protest
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pass — a permit
  8. court — of law
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — low music
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. hand — help
  18. rule — a law
  19. degree — from a university
  20. object — an aim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. court — for sport
  23. bass — the fish
  24. degree — an amount

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