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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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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: vault · field · snap · saw · chest · mate · pitch · nail

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mate — a partner
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pitch — completely
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. vault — a safe
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — a friend
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — for sport
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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