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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: degree · cabinet · stick · roll · file · arm · vault · present

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. present — a gift
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. degree — temperature
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. file — a tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. present — the time now
  14. file — a document
  15. present — there
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. vault — a safe
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. file — a line of people
  24. roll — a list

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