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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: degree · shower · cue · vault · chair · dip

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cue — a signal
  6. shower — rain
  7. dip — to sink
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — for pool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. degree — temperature
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. vault — a safe

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