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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: can · vault · ground · mate · bound · track · degree · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. degree — from a university
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — to breed
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — a partner
  11. vault — a safe
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — a position
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bound — obliged
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bound — tied together
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — certain
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. mate — a friend

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