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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: ball · vault · calf · field · pitcher · pit · cold · deal

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. field — for sport
  17. ball — a great time
  18. cold — not warm
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. field — a subject
  24. vault — a safe

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