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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: stick · vault · drill · club · swing · arm · cell · degree

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — in biology
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — a phone
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — an amount
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. degree — temperature
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. degree — from a university

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