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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 · land · stick · craft · degree · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitch — completely
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. degree — from a university
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. land — to come down
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. degree — temperature
  13. vault — a safe
  14. land — a country
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. land — ground

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