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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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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: row · vault · wave · cold · cabinet · capital · fall · degree

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. row — a line
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cold — not warm
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cold — an illness
  14. capital — a city
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fall — the season
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fall — to drop
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — money

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