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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: straw · pitch · cap · vault · bat · rash · stick · bowl

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bowl — a football final

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