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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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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: lean · vault · pitch · fall · face · march · pound · craft

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. march — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pound — a weight
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fall — the season
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fall — to drop

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