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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: vault · rush · calf · root · cold · bound · racket · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cold — not warm
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rush — hurry
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. root — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. vault — a safe
  21. root — the cause
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  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