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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 120 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: drill · vault · row · pitch · rock · hand · land · fan

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rock — a stone
  3. land — ground
  4. hand — help
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. row — a line
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — to move gently

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