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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. degree — an amount
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — the animal
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bear — the animal
  13. game — a match
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — wild animals
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — to grow
  18. vault — a safe
  19. degree — temperature
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. staff — employees

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