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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: pitcher · hand · coach · cold · pound · roll · bound · vault

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bound — tied together
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bound — certain
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. roll — a list
  12. hand — help
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cold — an illness
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. vault — a safe
  20. bound — obliged
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. hand — in cards
  23. roll — a cake
  24. pitcher — a jug

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