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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: fine · vault · kid · pitch · drill · track · leaves · chip

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chip — to eat
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — the tool
  10. track — a song
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — for betting
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. drill — army training
  17. fine — all right
  18. drill — a practice
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a path
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitch — completely

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