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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: cold · rush · cabinet · face · vault · pitch · bowl · lie

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. face — to confront
  24. lie — to recline

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