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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: vault · degree · suit · dip · shower · race · craft · chair

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. race — humankind
  3. shower — to wash
  4. race — the arms race
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. suit — to fit
  12. race — a contest
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chair — a leader
  15. dip — to sink
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. vault — a safe
  20. craft — a skill
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. shower — rain

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