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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: last · vault · charge · pitcher · present · cell · saw · pop

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. charge — a price
  4. present — there
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cell — a phone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — finally
  12. present — the time now
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — music
  15. last — final
  16. charge — in control
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. charge — electricity
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. last — to go on
  24. pop — to visit

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