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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. stand — to bear
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — from a university
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — the season
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. degree — an amount
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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