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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. lean — thin
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tear — to rip
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a match
  10. degree — an amount
  11. degree — temperature
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. snap — to click
  21. game — wild animals
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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