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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: pitcher · hand · tear · file · stand · land · vault · kick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — from crying
  6. land — a country
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — to come down
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — help
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kick — in football
  24. land — ground

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