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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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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: game · pitch · club · stand · vault · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. club — for golf
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. game — wild animals
  13. club — a group
  14. game — a match
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stand — to bear
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitch — a sports field

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