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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · degree · vault · bass · row · wound · ground · cold

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — the fish
  3. degree — an amount
  4. row — to paddle
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — a position
  7. vault — a safe
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wound — an injury
  24. suit — in cards

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