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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · vault · degree · ball · mug · spell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. spell — letters
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. vault — a safe
  8. roll — a list
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mug — a face
  11. ball — a great time
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mug — a cup
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spell — magic
  16. ball — a dance
  17. mug — to rob
  18. degree — an amount

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