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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: swing · pitcher · vault · bat · degree · rule

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. vault — in gymnastics
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — from a university
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — government
  14. swing — music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rule — a law
  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