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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 · prune · pitch · kick · club · deal · can · cold

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cold — not warm
  7. club — a group
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. club — for golf
  17. can — to be able to
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — in football
  20. club — for dancing
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  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