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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. degree — an amount
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. degree — temperature

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