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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.

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: spell · pitch · vault · leaves · track · land · bass · staff

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bass — low music
  3. spell — letters
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a path
  6. vault — a safe
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. spell — a short time
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — the fish
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — ground
  23. spell — magic
  24. bass — the instrument

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