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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: present · fine · dip · pop · kick · cold · vault · patient

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pop — soda
  5. cold — not warm
  6. vault — a safe
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. present — a gift
  12. pop — music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fine — all right
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — there
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. present — the time now
  22. kick — in football
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — the Cold War

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