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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: pass · tear · vault · swing · spell · fall · degree · pit

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. degree — temperature
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — the season
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. pit — in a race
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — in golf
  18. degree — an amount
  19. spell — a short time
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — music

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