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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 120 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: sharp · pitch · lash · capital · tube · vault · file · chest

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chest — a box
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. vault — a safe
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. file — a tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. file — a document
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. capital — a city
  24. tube — in a 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