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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · cold · vault · coach · wave · present · squash · pitcher

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — a gift
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — a tin
  14. vault — a safe
  15. present — the time now
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. squash — the sport
  20. present — there
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. can — a tin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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