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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: saw · wound · degree · rush · vault · sharp · deal · key

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. key — in music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wound — an injury
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rush — hurry
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — an injury
  15. degree — an amount
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. key — the most important part
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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