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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: drill · pit · tear · vault · pitcher · cell · wave · firm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pit — a hole
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — a practice
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — in biology
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tear — from crying

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