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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: bowl · degree · vault · arm · coach · hide · present · ground

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. ground — crushed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. present — there
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. degree — from a university
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. present — the time now
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ground — the earth
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ground — a position

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