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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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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: craft · kick · vault · row · drill · bulb · chair · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. craft — a skill
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — a leader
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. row — to paddle
  15. drill — the tool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — boats
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — in football

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