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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cap — a lid
  4. march — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cap — a hat
  16. degree — temperature
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. march — the month
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pit — a hole
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cell — in biology
  24. degree — from a university

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