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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: scale · vault · ball · net · calf · perch · cold · rash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. perch — the fish
  7. net — after costs
  8. cold — an illness
  9. scale — size or range
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. net — in sport
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. ball — a dance
  18. scale — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. net — for catching
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. scale — for weighing

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