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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — a safe
  4. march — the month
  5. content — happy
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mark — a grade
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. march — music
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — the month
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. content — the amount
  24. degree — temperature

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