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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 · dip · lash · degree · fall · pop · track · ruler

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pop — soda
  9. fall — the season
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. track — a song
  14. pop — music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. degree — an amount
  17. track — a path
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. dip — to sink
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ruler — for measuring

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