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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pop — soda
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. degree — an amount
  17. content — the amount
  18. pop — music
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — happy
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — the month

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