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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: pop · vault · ball · rash · ruler · degree · pitch · cell

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cell — a phone
  16. pop — soda
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pop — music

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