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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 116 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: current · bat · vault · last · hand · hide · pitcher · degree

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — electric
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — finally
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. degree — temperature

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