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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: foot · pass · tear · bowl · degree · vault

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. degree — temperature
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. degree — an amount
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. degree — from a university

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