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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 · wound · kid · chest · nail · can · degree · bowl

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. chest — a box
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — an injury
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chest — of your body
  11. can — a tin
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. degree — from a university
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kid — child
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. can — a tin

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