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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 116 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: swing · racket · wax · vault · degree · chip

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. swing — music
  3. chip — for betting
  4. degree — from a university
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. swing — to play on
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat

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