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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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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: bore · pitch · pit · vault · root · stand · cold · squash

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bore — to drill
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bore — to tire
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  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