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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. degree — an amount
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pit — a hole
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bass — low music
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pit — in a race
  14. degree — from a university
  15. mate — a partner
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kick — in football
  19. race — humankind
  20. charge — a price
  21. degree — temperature
  22. charge — in control
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — to breed

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