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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: pitcher · clip · file · vault · mark · scale · bat · drill

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a document
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mark — a grade
  13. scale — size or range
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — for paper
  16. drill — a practice
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. vault — a safe
  20. file — a tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bat — for baseball

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