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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · vault · cold · charge · pitcher · clip · patient · mug

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mug — a face
  10. roll — a cake
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — to cut
  16. roll — a list
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — a cup
  19. charge — electricity
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — an illness
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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