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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.

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: perch · pitch · club · staff · hand · vault · coach · mine

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. club — a group
  10. pitch — completely
  11. club — for golf
  12. staff — a stick
  13. perch — the fish
  14. vault — a safe
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mine — for digging
  23. club — for dancing
  24. staff — employees

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