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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: rash · roll · scale · club · calf · vault · pitcher · bore

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. roll — a list
  4. club — a group
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rash — a series
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rash — hasty
  9. scale — in music
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. club — for dancing
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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