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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: board · rash · vault · straw · fine · hand · degree · ball

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a dance
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. degree — an amount
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. board — a committee
  20. rash — a series
  21. hand — in cards
  22. board — to get on
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. degree — from a university

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