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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: chest · vault · racket · hand · pitch · wake · cap · temple

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — help
  4. chest — a box
  5. cap — a lid
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. vault — a safe
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — of your body
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitch — completely
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. cap — a hat

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