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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: drill · pit · bear · degree · bay · vault · cue · scale

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. degree — an amount
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bear — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. scale — in music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — a hint
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bear — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cue — a signal
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. degree — temperature
  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