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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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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: vault · mate · degree · craft · clip · pound · bowl · march

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. march — the month
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mate — a friend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. mate — a partner
  15. march — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. degree — from a university
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — the month

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