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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. key — for a lock
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. key — in music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. pit — in a race
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. fork — in a road
  22. key — the most important part
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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