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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: rest · vault · clip · racket · rush · fine · pitch · shower

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. fine — high quality
  13. clip — for paper
  14. shower — rain
  15. vault — a safe
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fine — all right
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitch — completely
  24. shower — to wash

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