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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: lie · sharp · board · mate · degree · bat · vault · tear

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — an amount
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mate — a partner
  11. degree — temperature
  12. mate — a friend
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. board — a committee
  18. tear — from crying
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mate — to breed
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lie — an untruth

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