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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. firm — decided
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. kid — child
  6. firm — a company
  7. key — in music
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — to tease
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. key — the most important part
  20. degree — an amount
  21. key — for a lock
  22. degree — temperature
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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