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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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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: current · vault · bound · net · pitch · pit · shower · trunk

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bound — certain
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. current — of water
  14. pit — in a race
  15. shower — to wash
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bound — obliged

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