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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — happy
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. degree — an amount
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. cold — an illness
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. net — in sport
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. content — videos and posts
  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