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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: safe · vault · cap · mug · stick · rash · bulb · pitch

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. mug — a cup
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rash — a series
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bulb — for light
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. mug — to rob
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mug — a face
  20. bulb — for light
  21. vault — a safe
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bulb — of a plant

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