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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · track · plane · vault · file · object · foot · face

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — to protest
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — a safe
  6. track — to keep track
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a path
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. foot — a measure
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. file — a tool
  17. track — a song
  18. file — a line of people
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. file — a document
  24. foot — the bottom

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