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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: calf · mouse · cold · vault · present · degree · ground · pass

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. pass — a permit
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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