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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: vault · pitcher · stick · roll · net · file · board · saw

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. file — a document
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. saw — the tool
  5. board — a committee
  6. roll — a list
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — to get on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — a cake
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — in sport
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. file — a line of people
  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