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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: fall · wound · sharp · lash · vault · press · pitch · drill

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. press — to push
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. drill — a practice
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — a publisher
  17. vault — a safe
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fall — to drop
  21. drill — army training
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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