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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: pitcher · scale · vault · chip · cap · shower · pound · fine

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — of ice
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — high quality
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cap — a hat
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. shower — rain
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. scale — in music
  16. chip — for betting
  17. shower — to wash
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chip — to eat
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — a safe
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pound — for dogs

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