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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. degree — an amount
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. degree — temperature
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — from a university
  20. band — a music group
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitch — completely
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rest — what's left

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