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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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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: vault · current · cell · rock · race · foot · rule · degree

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. race — humankind
  3. rock — music
  4. rule — a law
  5. race — a contest
  6. current — electric
  7. rule — government
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cell — in biology
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rock — a stone
  23. degree — an amount
  24. cell — a phone

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