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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 · ground · game · rule · bank · swing · degree · press

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. swing — to play on
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — a safe
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. swing — music
  9. rule — government
  10. swing — in golf
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — a law
  15. press — to push
  16. bank — for money
  17. ground — crushed
  18. press — newspapers
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ground — a position
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bank — of a river
  24. game — wild animals

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