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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: lean · row · vault · cabinet · tear · perch · pitch · file

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — a safe
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. file — a document
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — to rip
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tear — from crying

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