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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: vault · board · pit · rush · pitch · drill · wind · saw

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pitch — completely
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — army training
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rush — hurry
  13. drill — a practice
  14. board — a committee
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pit — in a race
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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