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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 · drill · pitch · trunk · straw · lean · file · pound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. drill — army training
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. vault — a safe
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pound — a weight
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. file — a document
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. straw — dry grass

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