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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wound — an injury
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. club — for golf
  12. degree — from a university
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. degree — temperature
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — in football
  20. degree — an amount
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. can — a tin
  23. vault — a safe
  24. can — to be able to

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