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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bound — tied together
  3. degree — from a university
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. degree — temperature
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. kick — in football

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