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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 120 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: cabinet · stock · cold · race · root · vault · drill · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. drill — the tool
  6. race — a contest
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — goods
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. drill — army training
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. root — of a word
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. race — humankind
  18. vault — a safe
  19. stock — shares
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. race — the arms race
  24. root — the cause

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