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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. degree — temperature
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — in cards
  16. degree — from a university
  17. hand — help
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. degree — an amount
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fine — high quality

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