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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: perch · bowl · vault · pitch · file · pit · rash · safe

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — a safe
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. perch — the fish
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. file — a tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rash — a series
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. file — a document
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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