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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rock — a stone
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bass — low music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bass — the fish
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rock — music
  11. court — of a king
  12. toast — bread
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mate — to breed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. degree — from a university
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. court — for sport

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