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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: pitch · calf · cabinet · vault · roll · row · cold · ball

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cold — an illness
  5. ball — a dance
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitch — completely
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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