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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 124 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: vault · prune · pitch · kick · club · deal

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. kick — in football
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. club — for golf
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. club — a group
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pitch — completely
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. deal — an agreement

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