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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bulb · game · court · race · vault · stock · degree · bore

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — of a king
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bore — to tire
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — a match
  18. degree — from a university
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bore — to drill
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — for light

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