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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: roll · pound · fall · jam · vault · degree · cap · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cap — a hat
  3. roll — a list
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cap — of ice
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. degree — an amount
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fall — to drop
  13. present — the time now
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. present — a gift
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — the season
  24. jam — in traffic

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