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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: swing · degree · pit · file · vault · land · ball · ruler

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. land — a country
  3. vault — a safe
  4. ball — a great time
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — in a race
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. file — a tool
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. degree — an amount
  13. ball — a dance
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. swing — in golf
  16. land — ground
  17. pit — a hole
  18. file — a line of people
  19. land — to come down
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. degree — temperature

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