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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: foot · last · degree · rash · band · craft · vault · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. degree — from a university
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — temperature
  10. charge — electricity
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. craft — a skill
  13. last — final
  14. craft — boats
  15. last — finally
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. charge — in control
  20. last — to go on
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — a series
  24. band — a music group

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