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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — a skill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. vault — a safe
  6. craft — boats
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. degree — an amount
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cabinet — ministers

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