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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. degree — from a university
  2. shower — rain
  3. fine — all right
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. key — the most important part
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. degree — an amount
  23. key — for a lock
  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