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

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bound — obliged
  3. degree — an amount
  4. kid — child
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bank — for money
  7. bound — tied together
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bound — certain
  11. bank — of a river
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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