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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 116 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: vault · bound · swing · hand · pitch · dip · club · lash

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bound — tied together
  6. dip — to sink
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — in golf
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bound — certain
  11. hand — in cards
  12. swing — music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — help
  21. club — for golf
  22. bound — obliged
  23. club — for dancing
  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