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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 120 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: pit · bark · vault · mine · saw · pitch · ground · lie

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pit — in a race
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ground — the earth
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ground — a position
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pit — a hole
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — for digging

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