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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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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: vault · bore · temple · file · pitcher · charge · rest · lash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. file — a document
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a tool
  16. charge — a price
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. rest — a break
  23. vault — a safe
  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