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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. land — a country
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. degree — an amount
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a dance
  12. vault — a safe
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. degree — temperature
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. land — to come down
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. branch — a division
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a round shape
  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