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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: vault · present · pop · degree · rule · bat

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pop — music
  5. present — the time now
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — an amount
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. degree — temperature
  12. present — there
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rule — a law
  16. present — a gift
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government

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