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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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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: march · hand · vault · wind · lie · pitch · rash · bank

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pitch — completely
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. lie — to recline
  17. hand — in cards
  18. march — the month
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — help

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