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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: roll · mate · degree · content · bat · vault · track · suit

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. degree — an amount
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bat — the animal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. roll — a list
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — to fit
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mate — a partner
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — happy
  16. roll — a cake
  17. suit — clothes
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — to breed
  20. suit — in cards
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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