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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stick · straw · cabinet · degree · scale · vault · leaves · pit

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pit — in a race
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — a hole
  9. vault — a safe
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. degree — from a university
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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