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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 116 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. can — a tin
  3. degree — an amount
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a song
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — from a university
  9. track — a path
  10. mine — for digging
  11. vault — a safe
  12. scale — size or range
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. scale — in music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fine — all right
  19. can — to be able to
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. track — to keep track
  22. degree — temperature
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. can — a tin

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