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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: racket · vault · degree · patient · foot · squash

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. degree — temperature
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. degree — an amount
  8. foot — a measure
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. squash — to crush
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis

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