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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. vault — a safe
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pit — a hole
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — from a university
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. root — the cause
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. pit — in a race
  23. root — of a word
  24. calf — a young animal

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