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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.

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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: last · bowl · pitch · face · leaves · mine · bay · vault

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — to confront
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. face — to point toward

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