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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: cap · clip · deal · vault · degree · pitch · mug · rest

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — a video
  4. rest — what's left
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rest — a break
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mug — a face
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitch — completely
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mug — to rob
  24. deal — a big deal

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