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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: cue · scale · stock · vault · cap · cold · pitch · face

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. face — to point toward
  10. scale — size or range
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cue — a hint
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stock — goods
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitch — completely
  19. face — to confront
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. scale — in music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. face — part of the head

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