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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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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: last · date · pitch · mine · vault · kid · lean · perch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lean — thin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — a safe
  7. date — the fruit
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. last — to go on
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. last — finally
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. last — final
  24. mine — for digging

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