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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 120 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: pitcher · press · vault · board · hide · degree · rest · race

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. degree — an amount
  3. race — the arms race
  4. degree — temperature
  5. race — humankind
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rest — a break
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. race — a contest
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. press — to push
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  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