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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 124 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — to sink
  4. vault — a safe
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wound — an injury
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. foot — a measure
  21. degree — temperature
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. game — a match
  24. degree — from a university

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