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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: cold · mug · saw · foot · vault · net · roll · pop

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pop — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. mug — a cup
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. roll — a cake
  7. mug — a face
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. roll — a list
  13. pop — soda
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pop — to visit
  19. foot — a measure
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — a safe
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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