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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bulb · face · jam · craft · vault · court · clip · degree

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. clip — a video
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. degree — temperature
  8. clip — for paper
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — a skill
  11. face — to point toward
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — of a king
  15. bulb — for light
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. court — of law
  18. face — to confront
  19. bulb — for light
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — from a university
  22. clip — to cut
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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