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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 120 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: shower · degree · present · vault · safe · perch · file · hide

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. file — a tool
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — the fish
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — to wash
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. present — there
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. degree — from a university
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — a safe
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. present — the time now
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. degree — an amount
  24. present — a gift

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