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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: snap · wound · rush · degree · pitch · stand · face · vault

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wound — an injury
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — temperature
  15. snap — to click
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to confront
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pitch — a sports field

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