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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: march · temple · wound · vault · nail · pitch · last · snap

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wound — an injury
  4. march — music
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. last — finally
  15. march — the month
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. last — to go on
  18. pitch — completely
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. march — the month
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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