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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: stick · vault · degree · bound · pitch · perch · cold · charge

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — obliged
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. degree — from a university
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. perch — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitch — completely
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. charge — electricity
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bound — certain

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