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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: bay · shower · vault · degree · arm · rush · rule · staff

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. staff — employees
  4. degree — an amount
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. shower — rain
  10. staff — a stick
  11. degree — temperature
  12. staff — employees
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rule — a law
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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