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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — all right
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. chip — to eat
  12. saw — the tool
  13. degree — from a university
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fine — high quality
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pit — in a race
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. pit — a hole

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