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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: rest · kid · vault · charge · degree · hide

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. charge — in control
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. charge — a price
  17. degree — an amount
  18. degree — temperature

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