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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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468
Word bank
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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: sharp · bear · degree · saw · clip · key · vault · racket

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. key — the most important part
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. key — in music
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. key — for a lock
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — a video
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — a loud noise

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