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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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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: lean · deal · bay · degree · mug · present · vault · bat

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. present — a gift
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. degree — from a university
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mug — to rob
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. degree — an amount
  18. present — the time now
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. vault — a safe
  21. present — there
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. degree — temperature

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