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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 116 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: cold · racket · prune · pitch · stick · pound · vault · can

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — a tin

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