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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: bore · march · temple · hand · pitch · vault · tube · fall

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fall — the season
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — the underground
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — in cards
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. hand — help
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — gave birth

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