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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: sharp · nail · trunk · mine · vault · pitch · patient · pitcher

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — completely
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. sharp — clever
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. trunk — of a tree

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