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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. degree — temperature
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — shares
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stock — goods
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — of a king
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. vault — a safe
  21. court — for sport
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. nail — for a hammer

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