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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · object · wound · vault · file · pitch · temple · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — a thing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. file — a document
  11. pitch — completely
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — to protest
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — an aim
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a tool

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