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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 · board · degree · rule · spring · rest · snap · plane

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — government
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rule — a law
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rest — a break
  13. spring — the season
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. degree — from a university
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. board — a committee
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — temperature
  23. vault — a safe
  24. snap — to click

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