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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: ground · band · degree · kick · racket · pass · vault · rule

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. band — a music group
  3. degree — from a university
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. vault — a safe
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. band — a ring
  14. pass — a permit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kick — with a leg

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