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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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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: net · fall · deal · degree · vault · last · cap · bound

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. net — after costs
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. degree — temperature
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — final
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bound — certain
  15. net — in sport
  16. vault — a safe
  17. fall — the season
  18. deal — to handle
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. last — to go on

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