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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: fall · degree · current · vault · object · cold · squash · bowl

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. object — to protest
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. object — an aim
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fall — the season
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — an amount
  17. current — electric
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — a thing
  22. current — of water
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. squash — the vegetable

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