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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: kid · season · vault · present · cap · bear · safe · degree

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. kid — child
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cap — a lid
  11. present — there
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cap — of ice
  15. present — a gift
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — the time now
  19. vault — a safe
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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