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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: arm · pitch · kick · lean · capital · pitcher · bat · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — thin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. capital — money
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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