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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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Word bank
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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: degree · rock · straw · vault · shower · cell · present · ball

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cell — in biology
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. vault — a safe
  8. degree — temperature
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rock — a stone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cell — a phone
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — to wash
  18. present — the time now
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. present — a gift
  21. rock — music
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — there
  24. shower — rain

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