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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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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: shower · drill · vault · straw · pitch · perch · saw · club

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — a practice
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — the tool
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — completely
  8. vault — a safe
  9. drill — army training
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — a group
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. shower — to wash
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. drill — the tool
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — rain

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