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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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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: vault · degree · race · season · mug · squash · club · calf

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. vault — a safe
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. degree — from a university
  9. club — for golf
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. race — the arms race
  16. club — a group
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. mug — to rob
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — a face
  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