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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. degree — an amount
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — temperature
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. craft — boats
  13. scale — in music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. scale — size or range
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. craft — a skill
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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