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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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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: bore · pop · rest · degree · file · club · vault · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. degree — from a university
  4. rest — a break
  5. pop — soda
  6. club — for dancing
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. club — a group
  12. pit — in a race
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. club — for golf
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pop — music
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bore — to drill
  20. file — a document
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — to tire
  24. file — a line of people

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