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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — for money
  10. land — to come down
  11. drill — army training
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bank — of a river
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — a permit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. ball — a dance
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. drill — a practice
  23. clip — a video
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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