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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: vault · degree · fork · bank · pitch · shower · last · pound

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pound — a weight
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. shower — rain
  8. bank — of a river
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — to go on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. last — final
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. last — finally
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fork — in a road

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