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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: vault · band · pitch · bound · kid · leaves · rest · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. vault — a safe
  9. degree — from a university
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pitch — completely
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bound — certain
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. kid — child
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — to tease
  24. bound — obliged

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