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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: mate · field · vault · root · ball · degree · bowl · ground

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a partner
  8. root — of a plant
  9. degree — an amount
  10. field — for sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mate — to breed
  14. ball — a great time
  15. degree — temperature
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — the cause
  20. field — a subject
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. degree — from a university
  24. field — farmland

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