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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: march · pit · craft · vault · pitch · lash · wax · last

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — music
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — final
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. last — finally
  18. craft — boats
  19. pit — in a race
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. vault — a safe

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