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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: pitch · vault · drill · can · row · suit · temple · clip

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — army training
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. clip — a video
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. suit — to fit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. drill — the tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. row — a line
  18. pitch — completely
  19. row — to paddle
  20. can — a tin
  21. vault — a safe
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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