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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. vault — a safe
  7. degree — an amount
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. degree — from a university
  12. net — in sport
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. key — in music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. net — after costs
  19. key — for a lock
  20. net — for catching
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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