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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — a safe
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. degree — an amount
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. degree — from a university
  20. mug — a cup
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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