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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: board · straw · degree · swing · rush · racket · mark · vault

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mark — a grade
  6. board — to get on
  7. mark — a trace
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. board — a committee
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. swing — to play on
  15. degree — an amount
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — temperature
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rush — hurry
  24. swing — in golf

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