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

Word bank: date · fine · ball · firm · degree · chair · perch · vault

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — from a university
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. firm — decided
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. degree — an amount
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. degree — temperature
  17. firm — a company
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. firm — steady
  24. vault — a safe

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