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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 116 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: vault · nail · pound · pitcher · land · pitch · saw · bound

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bound — certain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pitch — completely
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bound — obliged
  24. nail — on a finger

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