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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: vault · pitcher · perch · charge · track · saw · game · shower

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — a price
  3. perch — the fish
  4. vault — a safe
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. charge — in control
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — rain
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. track — a song
  17. shower — to wash
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — to keep track
  20. charge — electricity
  21. track — a path
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. saw — the tool

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