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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 120 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: cold · object · vault · scale · wake · mark · drill · cap

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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 — the Cold War
  2. cap — a lid
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. object — to protest
  8. scale — size or range
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a grade
  11. object — a thing
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wake — a trail
  15. object — an aim
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cap — of ice
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. scale — in music
  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