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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: plane · bay · board · degree · vault · mark · current · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. last — final
  9. current — electric
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. mark — a grade
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. plane — a tool
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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