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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: kick · pitch · game · snap · rest · vault

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. 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. rest — what's left
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rest — what's left
  5. game — wild animals
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. game — a match
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rest — a break
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. snap — to click
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. 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