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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 · shower · perch · drill · scale · fall · vault · file

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fall — the season
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a tool
  10. perch — the fish
  11. drill — army training
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. vault — a safe
  15. drill — the tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. shower — to wash
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. shower — rain
  20. degree — an amount
  21. scale — in music
  22. fall — to drop
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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