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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. cap — a hat
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. present — there
  7. cap — a lid
  8. degree — temperature
  9. perch — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. cap — of ice
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. degree — from a university
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. present — the time now
  17. wake — a trail
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — a gift
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. vault — a safe

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