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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: last · vault · rule · pitch · club · degree · stem · mark

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. club — a group
  3. last — finally
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — to go on
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — government
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — temperature
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rule — a law
  22. mark — a trace
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — final

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