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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: degree · hand · vault · ruler · mouse · land · temple · field

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hand — in cards
  3. field — a subject
  4. land — a country
  5. degree — from a university
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — help
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. land — to come down
  22. field — for sport
  23. land — ground
  24. degree — temperature

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