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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: trunk · fall · race · file · vault · ruler · degree · charge

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. race — the arms race
  3. file — a line of people
  4. race — humankind
  5. charge — electricity
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. race — a contest
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. fall — the season
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. vault — a safe
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. degree — an amount
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — in control
  18. degree — from a university
  19. charge — a price
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. degree — temperature
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. file — a tool

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