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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: key · vault · mate · net · degree · shower · calf · spring

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mate — to breed
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. degree — temperature
  6. key — for a lock
  7. net — after costs
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a friend
  10. shower — rain
  11. degree — an amount
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spring — of water
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — the most important part
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. spring — the season

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