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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: bat · content · vault · rest · leaves · bay · degree · fall

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rest — what's left
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. content — happy
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — an amount
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — a break
  21. degree — temperature
  22. vault — a safe
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — in an idiom

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