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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. march — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. march — the month
  7. net — for catching
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mug — a cup
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — from a university
  15. net — after costs
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mug — a face
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chip — to eat
  24. lash — an eyelash

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