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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: rash · pitch · calf · tube · kid · nail · cold · vault

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cold — an illness
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pitch — completely
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. kid — child
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rash — a series
  13. tube — a container
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. kid — to tease
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tube — the underground
  24. cold — the Cold War

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