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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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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: pitch · season · vault · wave · bank · dip · capital · cold

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. capital — money
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bank — for money
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bank — of a river
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. season — in sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. vault — a safe

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