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

Word bank: race · present · pitcher · vault · bay · degree

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. 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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. present — a gift
  4. degree — an amount
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. present — the time now
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — there
  15. degree — from a university
  16. race — humankind
  17. vault — a safe
  18. 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