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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: kid · mark · press · vault · last · track · perch · pitch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. kid — to tease
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — a safe
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a grade
  16. track — a song
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mark — a trace
  20. last — to go on
  21. kid — child
  22. track — to keep track
  23. last — finally
  24. track — a path

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