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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 · sharp · chair · vault · roll · degree · bank · wake

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. roll — a list
  5. bank — of a river
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a partner
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bank — for money
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mate — a friend
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mate — to breed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chair — a leader
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. degree — an amount
  24. sharp — clever

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